The Very Best Place for a Penny

by Dina Rosenfeld

Emphasizes the mitzvah or Jewish commandment of giving charity, through the tale of a penny in a drawer contemplating the very best place for himself.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

Dina Rosenfeld
Editor-in-chief, Hachai Publishing
Author: The Very Best Place for a Penny
A Tree Full of Mitzvos
Labels for Laibel, On the Ball
All About Us
A Chanukah Story for Night Number Three
The Very Best Book
A Little Boy Named Avram
Kind Little Rivka
Dovid the Little Shepherd

Dina (Devorah Leah) Rosenfeld was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the daughter of Emil and Rita Herman who imbued her with a love of good books and encouraged her writing from a very early age. Dina attended the Yeshiva Achei Tmimim through high school and continued her Jewish studies in New York at Beth Rivka Teachers' Seminary.

The author's first books were born of necessity. As a preschool Hebrew teacher, she simply could not find age-appropriate, full color picture books for her 4-year-old students and decided to create children's stories of her own.

The Very Best Place for a Penny and A Tree Full of Mitzvos were her first manuscripts to be accepted for publication thanks to the involvement of her husband, Shimon Aron Rosenfeld.

Dina went on to write numerous children's books. Modern-day stories such as Labels for Laibel, On the Ball, All About Us, A Chanukah Story for Night Number Three, and The Very Best Book published by Hachai Publishing are some beloved favorites.

Her tales from Biblical sources, such as A Little Boy Named Avram, Kind Little Rivka and Dovid the Little Shepherd are used by teachers and parents to bring Torah heroes and heroines alive for the very youngest children.

Mrs. Rosenfeld's books offer a variety of styles and sizes. She has collaborated with nine different artists and writes both in rhyme and in prose.

In addition to her own writing, Dina edits children's books and oversees their production from first draft through the final layout stage.

Due to the popularity of her work, certain titles have been translated into Portuguese, Russian, German and Italian. The author is gratified that her books are read and enjoyed in homes and classrooms around the world.

Dina Rosenfeld, a member of the Lubavitcher community lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY with her family.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of the book. The penny coming to life was a little bit much for me, but I like the premise of finding the best place for the penny and belonging. I like the introduction to tzedakah too. I also like that it didn't have to be a lot of money to give to tzedakah. It was only a penny not a $1 or even a quarter. I also enjoyed the interaction with the ball under the bed.

[Soraya Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title says it all and is very catchy for parents and children alike. My children both enjoyed this book. Nice illustrations too.